Natural Birth in a Hospital

Soon after being 100% sold on a home-birth or a birthing center, it dawns on me that my insurance (Medi-Cal. Government Aid) does not cover midwives.

It took all night to cry the tears out.

No use in crying anymore. It is what it is. I can't fork down 5,000+ dollars and my insurance is a no-go. Stiff upper lip! You can do this, Susan!

Natural birth in a hospital!

I am blessed enough to have found Dr. Right on my second try.

Yes, he'll allow birthing in a position other than on my back.
Yes, he's pro-unmedicated birth and even admits, "It's much healthier for the baby!"
Yes, he is encouraging me to labor at home until the last minute before my water breaks or I see blood.

I was thrilled to hear all of this! His downside? When I asked about having intermittent only fetal monitoring, he actually mumbled, "I could get sued..." and then quickly replied, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

What?! No! No! I want to talk about this now! I'd love to be able to walk around during labor or even labor while squatting and I can't do this with wires and tubes up my crotch! .....No, I did not exclaim this. I didn't want to scare him off just yet. That's for the next visit. Better leave it at that for now.

I can't believe I even have to worry about this kind of thing!

Anyone else out there attempting a natural birth in a hospital? Or have been through one before? Is it possible to get through it without pressure and drug offers or being snipped and cut?

Tags: Dr., Right, birth, cry, hospital, insurance, natural, positions, questions, surgery, More…un-medicated, worries, worry

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cherylyn on February 17, 2010 at 7:29am

I've had two wonderful natural births in the hospital. In both cases, my doula was really key in helping me know what to ask for, staying focused on my plan and helping me through the whole process. I had intermittent monitoring, which meant about 20-30 minutes in the bed every 2 hours with the monitors and belts strapped to my belly (no internal monitoring for me). That meant that for 1 1/2 out of every 2 hours I could be up and about in any place or position I chose. According to my doctor, this was hospital policy and even though I didn't like being in the bed even that much, it was a compromise I was OK with.

Why does your doctor think he'll get sued if he doesn't do continually monitoring? Does he think YOU are going to sue him? You can talk with him calmly about how you've done your homework and you know that intermittent monitoring is just as safe, if not safer, than continuous monitoring, and you will not be suing him for any reason. It's important to have the conversation now, before you're in labor.

I recently talked with a friend of mine who is a labor and delivery nurse about this. She said that sometimes it's easier for her as a nurse to have internal monitoring in place so she can help the woman get into any position she wants to out of the bed, because it's really hard to hold the EFM to the mother's belly or worry about it slipping off. IFM is more accurate than EFM and you're less likely to get an iffy reading, but the waters have to have already been broken before it can be used. I would ask not to have artificial rupture of membranes just for the sake of being monitored internally. I would also ask for intermittent EFM, and check with the hospital if they have a policy regarding this as well. Also keep in mind that hospital and doctor polices are negotiable. Here's a good blog post about that: http://enjoybirth.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/vbac-mom-explains-how-sh...

You can be polite and respectful and hold your ground at the same time. Do your homework and know what you want and why.

Keep us posted! I hope you're able to talk through this more with your doctor and work with them in having a beautiful birth. If there is anything you want support or info on, please don't hesitate to ask!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan Castleman on February 18, 2010 at 12:43pm

Wow! How helpful was that! Thank you very much! Very encouraging and educational!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by KM on February 17, 2010 at 8:35am

I've had two un medicated hospital births. Both were induced with Pit so I had to have the monitors, but I still managed them and delivered both my girls with zero cuts or tears.

It is absolutely possible and it sounds like you have a great doctor. Keep in mind, that even with constant fetal monitoring you can still move. It's not quite as free, and you do have the wires(the internal monitor should be a last resort, not the first choice so don't worry about that just yet), but you can still stand, rock, squat etc, and the bed can actually turn out to be a great prop for positioning yourself.

A doula would be a great idea and if you can't afford to hire, you can ask doulas in your area if anyone is needing births for their certification. They are still allowed to charge, but if they do, it's usually much less than a doula with more births under her belt.

Good luck! Look forward!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan Castleman on February 18, 2010 at 12:45pm

Ooo! Great idea! Doulas who need more births under their belt! I'll look around! Thanks!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Samantha on February 20, 2010 at 4:01pm

Go to the DONA website and call them during business hours and you can ask for their list of doulas in training :) Most will do them for free or the cost of gas and parking.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan Castleman on February 21, 2010 at 9:47pm

AWESOME! I just sent them an email. I'll call them tomorrow morning. Thanks a lot!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by EmilyK on February 17, 2010 at 2:06pm

Many hospitals allow for 20 minutes of monitoring upon admission and then intermittent external monitoring during labor. Ask your doctor about telemetry, a wireless option for monitoring. And yes, it is absolutely possible to have a drug free labor in the hospital. What kind of hospital is it? By that I mean, is it a large scale hospital or is it a smaller rural hospital? I would think the answers to that question would determine how much back-up and tough lady exterior you would want to bring to the birth.

I live in Vermont, so our biggest hospital isn't really that big, but I would go in with signs to put on the door about pain meds and non-consent forms for pitocin and the like written in large, clear, idiot proof fonts. But in my little local hospital about two doors down from me where they aren't even equipped to give actual epidurals and only have one OR, I will only need to make sure they don't put goop in my babies eyes when he's born.

That's my two cents. Enjoy your birth, hospital and all. It'll be great.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Susan Castleman on February 18, 2010 at 12:47pm

Thank you! I'm in Los Angeles and will be birthing at a large hospital. I love the idea about putting up door signs. Great idea!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by KM on February 18, 2010 at 4:33pm

If you don't mind me asking, which hospital are you delivering at and when. I'm in the area and have LOT'S of doula contacts. If you message me I might be able to help you out. :)